Reform-run council pledges to recite Lord's Prayer and sing national anthem before meetings

A Reform UK-run council is pledging to recite the Lord's Prayer and sing the national anthem before its meetings.

Kent County Council is set to vote on the matter after a committee chose to put it to its 81 councillors.

Reform UK councillor Richard Palmer, the chairman of the authority, said: "We are a Christian nation."

While Restore Britain's Maxine Fothergill said: "I do not see a problem with this, and if members do not agree with it, they are welcome to sit it out and come in when the clergy has finished."

The council's monitoring officer had warned that the council would not be able to legally include the prayer in its livestream of meetings.

But the motion was passed with an amendment allowing the prayer to be broadcast.

However, fury has broken out at County Hall over the patriotic plans.

Mark Hood, who leads the authority's four-strong Green Party group, demanded the council "operate in a wholly secular manner to respect the followers of all religions and none."

Mr Hood claimed constituents would see the move as "absolutely bonkers".

"If people want to sing songs, then by all means sing the songs elsewhere," he blasted.

"If this is going to eat into the time allocated to the democratic processes being undertaken in this room, then it's absolutely unacceptable."

Opposition councillors have also decried how praying or singing would take up time during full council meetings.

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One, Liberal Democrats group leader Antony Hook, said he thought it was "really inappropriate to... take on a religious practice" in the council.

But Reform duo Garry Sturley and chairman Mr Palmer have slapped down oponnents.

Mr Sturley pointed to how the anthem was "standard patriotic tradition" and proposed that it too could be livestreamed.

Mr Palmer added: "There is nothing wrong with being loyal to the Crown - nothing wrong with being loyal to this country."

The motion to livestream the anthem also passed.

Last summer, Reform UK launched a "patriotic flag pact" with its - at the time - 12 councils vowing not to remove St George's Crosses and Union Jacks from lampposts.

The councils said both flags were symbols of unity and inclusion, and have confirmed they would not be taken down.

However, the council also advised people to be sensible and not put themselves in danger by "scaling lampposts and tall structures".